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Ante
Ante is a Human Wild Sorcerer and gambler who specializes in illusion, misdirection, and diplomacy. He meets the CGA disguised as a Mereketh City Guard mage after breaking out of jail during Strahd's attack on the city in Frozen Blood. After helping CGA defeat the ancient vampire, Ante is conscripted into the CGA by Zavia and Jinkeel as a means of commuting his jail sentence. Description Ante is a slender human of shorter-than-normal height, usually with a smile on his face. He takes pride in his Suit of Summer, a red-orange three-piece suit that provides him protection cold and from weather effects, wearing it whenever possible with a silk necktie. He also is usually wearing a wide-brim navy fedora, which he will put himself at risk to retrieve if needed. His hands are adorned with multiple rings, including an ORT signet, the CGA ring, the former Ring of Winter, and Gutterang.. Ante has full heterochromia between his two eyes, a side effect of his Wild Magic when it manifested. He will often try to hide the distinct feature with the spell Disguise Self. Despite being over 90 years old, Ante appears to be in his mid-20s. This is due to Sigil's special temporal situation where time travels over 20 times faster than that of the Prime Material plane, and mortals age at a proportionally slowed rate after physical maturity. Within telepathic communication, Ante's voice sometimes slips into a thick Southern drawl, the accent with which he grew up. Personality Ante enjoys both being the center of attention and remaining mysterious. His gawdy fashion sense, penchant for rings, and sheer charisma often make him a focus point wherever he goes. However, he is fiercely reserved about personal information beyond the superficial, often shutting down any line of inquiry with a half-answer or abrupt response of "that's classified." In fact, "Ante" was confirmed as an alias in "Race for Retrieval," where Blacknote complimented his choice of moniker. His real name is currently unknown. In "Reprieve," Ante told the CGA, to which he was recently conscripted, that "all that really matters is three things: Get paid; Get laid; and lemonade." He is certainly the most carnally minded member of the group, propositioning the potion-maker Kahili within days of moving to Bridgepuddle. However, he often treats women he knows with disrespect, especially Zavia, who he enjoys irritating (and who usually punches him as compensation). It's shown in Ante's interactions with Lost as well as the Bridgepuddle Orphanage that, despite his somewhat sociopathic behavior, Ante has a soft spot for children. This is due to his difficult childhood as a poor orphan in the streets of Sigil, an experience that "no kid should have to go through." History Ante does not like to reveal much of his history, but it is known that he grew up alone in the streets of Sigil's infamous hive. At some point he joined one of Sigil's Thieves' Guilds, but he left after a job against ORT went wrong. He has offered no further details about it. He also seems to have worked for ORT a few times at a later date. He retains their ring from his time with them because it "lets him go places in Sigil I shouldn't be able to access." Since it's a tracking device, though, it's a reasonable question if ORT actually has the upper hand on him. Since joining the CGA, Ante has taken some time to integrate in the group since he's not accustomed to working with a team. However, his skill set allowed him to serve the CGA well on numerous occasions already: He distracted Strahd with an illusion that looked like the spirit of Strahd's previous love, bore the Ring of Winter to the Court of Summer so it could be destroyed, and successfully avoided multiple battles while trying to find the Dewprism's key. He has also entered a relationship with Bridgepuddle's potion-maker Kahili, though it's unknown just how deep it goes. Abilities Ante is a Wild Sorcerer with inherent magical ability. He joins the group at 9th level in Frozen Blood, where he uses his powers to gain subtle edges in and outside of combat. Ante's primary magical specialty is illusion and misdirection. He isn't able to deal much damage within a fight, but he is able to bait attacks from enemies with false images or otherwise manipulate them. He also relies on disabling strikes from his spells Hypnotic Pattern, Confusion, and his Wand of Viscous Globules, which can restrain an enemy for up to an hour with no physical means to escape. However, Ante's main role in the CGA is from his social and negotiation skills. Ante is able to identify others' desires and use his words to make an situation feel like win-win to all parties, even though he's really coming out on top. He can also bluff and lie exceptionally well, which he'll often combine with his illusions to overwhelm a target's will. Trivia Ante was originally only meant to be a guest character to the CGA while Zavia's player was out of town for an extended period, but the group decided to keep him in.